"Look up, look up, for there are other places and other things."
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle, Cornwall.
Tucked away off a harbour path, in between shops, restaurants and tea rooms in the picturesque village of Boscastle, North Cornwall, is a hidden gem - The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic.
Housed in a small, two-story 18th century cottage, the museum contains over 10,000 objects, books and artefacts, an astounding number, given the building’s diminutive size.
Cornwall has a long and rich history of folk traditions which has lasted through the generations and the museum seems to play an essential part in keeping the folk spirit of the area alive. As well as its local importance, the site is a mecca for anyone interested in the occult and welcomes around 50,000 visitors a year from all over the globe.
The museum first opened its doors to visitors of Boscastle in 1961 by the then owner and curator, Cecil Williamson, who had spent the previous 15 years trying and failing to find the perfect home for his ever growing collection of esoteric objects, mostly due to local opposition and scepticism wherever he went.
But in this tiny, harbour village he finally found its perfect spiritual home. Taken from the Museum website, Williamson explained the museum’s location in this way:
‘Three miles away from this spot you can find this pre-historic maze stone carved into a living rock face, proof that from ancient times man and his magic making with the world of spirit were active in this area. The centuries have passed and times have changed and yet all around us in this quiet corner of England there is a strange feeling that we are not alone and that the shades of persons passed on and over into the world of spirit are very close. That is why this Museum of Witchcraft is located here. One is standing on the edge of the beyond.’
I’d wanted to visit the museum since Emma Carlisle did a drawing session for her Patrons based on it, so when I visited Cornwall with my family during our summer holiday there, I made sure we added it to our itinerary.
Starting from a corridor of display cases which was stacked floor to ceiling with exhibits, I began to take in the eclectic range of objects which were ordered into themes, too many to individually list here, but combined they covered many British practices of witchcraft and magic, both historical and contemporary, including folk magic, ceremonial magic, alchemy and divination.
On display are also examples of witch iconography in modern western advertising, the representation of witches in fiction and entertainment and the collection ends with the contemporary uses of witchcraft today.
My favourite collections were the displays of herbs which were used for healing, neatly arranged in glass jars with tiny, handwritten labels on them (I love a well-ordered collection!) Also the charms, some of which were beautifully crafted, counter spells which were often contained in a bottle, and the mandrake collection which I found oddly fascinating!
A more sombre part of the exhibit features the devastating persecution of witches in 15th and 16th Century Europe. My personal feelings on this was that I felt a larger, more dedicated space should be given over to the history and repercussions of the atrocities that took place against innocent people during the witch hunts. Curated in a way that reveres the lives of the people who were killed and also continues the conversation on patriarchy and persecution which is still rife in our society.
In addition to its permanent collections, the museum showcases the work of contemporary artists whose work responds to witchcraft and magical practices. Currently on exhibition (2023) is the work of artist Lisa Ivory, titled ‘Beasts Beguiled: Familiars and Wild Women’.
I enjoyed a momentary pause from looking at the huge array of objects, to take in Lisa’s exhibition and it was one of the highlights of my visit. Her paintings gave me the sense of a recurring dream, in that to look at them felt unsettling but comfortingly familiar. Her work explores the wild and bestial traits which resides in us all and her style is influenced by the work of Goya and Daumier.
The visit to the museum was fascinating and inspiring and definitely exceeded my expectations, but I wondered that given the size of the space, whether the experience would be improved by the curators reducing the number of objects it has on display at any one time.
But, any space that celebrates the rich history of magic, witchcraft and British folk traditions and keeps its ‘spirit’ alive, is important and I’ll certainly be paying the museum another visit.
The museum is open 1st April - 31st October, check website for times and prices.
A digital archive of items can be found on the museums website and there is a blog as well as other resources for further research.
End notes:
The current owner of the museum, Simon Costin is a world renowned art director, set designer and curator, as well as the founder of the Museum of British Folklore. He has talked on the subject of folklore and witchcraft extensively over the years, here are some links to interviews:
Travel journal - Civilianglobal.com
British clothing brand - Toast.com
Instagram: @simon_costin
The title of this post comes from an alleged meeting with Cecil Williamson and a witch he met in Boscastle.
I am just about to visit the UK for a week and though I won't be able to make it to Cornwall, this was such a fascinating exploration and has me so excited for my travels!
I took me a long time to really appreciate how magical so much of the UK is. I was always so 'London-locked' in my focus, and there are a lot of reasons for that. However, I know that it prevented me from appreciating some of the really incredible ancient places that are full of story and a deep connection to nature. When I'm back in the UK I hope to visit some of these places!